Curator's Introduction | Blue Boy | National Gallery

Christine Riding, the Jacob Rothschild Head of the Curatorial Department, introduces the exhibition in this recorded live talk.
Gainsborough's Blue Boy: www.nationalgallery.org.uk/ex...
Until 15 May 2022
Room 46
BSL | For a version of this talk with BSL interpretation, please see this video: • BSL interpretation: Cu...
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The National Gallery houses the national collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the 13th to the 19th centuries. The museum is free of charge and open 361 days per year, daily between 10.00 am - 6.00 pm and on Fridays between 10.00 am - 9.00 pm.
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[@leylag1466]

Excellent lecture as always. Thank you.

[@FreeThinking999]

What a GREAT talk.

[@bethlehemeisenhour5807]

I saw The Blue Boy in the 60's on school trips twice, and fell in love with it. On my 3rd visit, he was no longer there. Looked at it long and long. My Favorite.

[@geraldkarl642]

Well done, wonderful, thank you Christine....

[@LondonEE16]

Many thanks to the National Gallery and Christine Riding for offering us this marvelous presentation. For sharing the best of British culture with the rest of the world.

[@SophieB_Ofcl]

My granny had a replica of this painting, it was the first piece I ever fell in love with.

[@TheLidiachis1999]

This channel is a hidden gem, I’m really glad I stumbled upon it ❤

[@lidijaberlot7743]

Thank-you for this eloquent presentation. I enjoyed every minute.

[@jasonstamp10]

This is great, thank you for posting this! I love listening to Christine speak about various aspects of art history.

[@frenchartantiquesparis424]

My uncle was directly related to Arabella Huntington.... he had family stories to tell me.

[@anthonyabbeymusic]

Looking forward to more live talks and return to walks with talks .Meeting curators and talks in person is always so good.

[@dubliner1100]

Erudite and fascinating presentation 👌

[@LondonEE16]

I think The Blue Boy is more of a still life than a portrait. Its allure resides in Gainsborough's rendering of the blue silk. Aside from the fact that we don't know who the sitter is, the focus in on his clothes, not the young man himself.

[@infallibleblue]

This was such a lovely presentation

[@k.jespersen6145]

Excellent discussion. It very roundly addressed the context of the painting throughout its existence, and clarified several otherwise mixed messages that get reported.

[@robyncarter5135]

Most enjoyable and interesting lecture. Growing up near The Huntington and going there often, the first thing I always had to see was Pinkie and The Blue Boy. I could identify with both of them. In my child’s mind they were real.

[@sandrasharby8405]

That was very educational and interesting. Thank you!

[@anneforster510]

Loved this , thank you.

[@Montonchap]

Brilliant!

[@rodi9947]

Great presentaion

[@beeheart6529]

So interesting!

[@rembvanrijn]

Having seen the Blue Boy, I think the only way to describe it is as a work of blazing genius. It makes most of Gainsborough’s work look very insipid. One of the startling effects of seeing the painting beside van Dyck originals is the shock of seeing van Dyck sink into the commonplace. The Blue Boy is a moment in the history of European art akin to Titian’s portrait of Gerolamo Barbarigo, where the act of painting becomes totally fused with the artist’s entire being. Painting suddenly speaks through the human being, seizes him or her, and makes an instrument of the painter. ‘Art’ lives on the other side of the veil, but sometimes, it bursts through into the real. The Blue Boy is such a moment.

[@carlberg7503]

Entertaining, ingratiating, and full of historical information swirling around "The Blue Boy." I only wish the lecture had been longer so that the curator could have spent more time analyzing the painting as a painting and not a recycling of van Dyke.

[@nationalgallery]

Hi Carl, you can watch our video on the painting itself here: ua-cam.com/video/ITUQuYslIWk/v-deo.html

[@raoulfernandez3859]

❤❤❤❤

[@henrik5761]

Poetry about a painting, and the loss of it

[@deoliveiragilson]

👍🏼

[@martinbiglieri]

Gainsbourg et son Gainsborough

[@finch45lear]

There’s nothing common about the work of Van Dyck.

[@Frank7077]

📌 👍🏻 👏🏻 🎤 📚 📜